The inventive subject matter generally is directed to woven constructions of fabric that are used in various end products but are particularly suited for use in apparel applications. More particularly the inventive subject matter is directed to fabric constructs that have multiple functional and/or visual effects zones that are formed in a unitary woven fabric construct where the different zones are seamlessly joined. The inventive subject matter is also directed to methods of making the fabric constructs and end products.
It is often desirable to have different functional attributes in different areas of a product. For example, in fabric-based products, the attributes may be selected to create special zones of durability; relatively high porosity for venting or breathability; elasticity for conforming to a person or thing's shape or accommodating movement; waterproofness; thermal insulation or retention; fire retardancy, etc. Often these various functional attributes create conflict in the choice of weaving materials and processes. For example, the objective of durability may be at the cost of breathability or elasticity.
Disadvantageously, conventional approaches to producing apparel items, or other end products, with multiple zones of specific attributes require panelization of the product according to specific zones. Each panel is a separate component that must be seamed to another panel to create the overall product. This results in significant disadvantages in terms of cost, time, product reliability, and otherwise. For example, each panel may need to be run on a different weaving machine or in different batch operation on the same machine.
There have been some improvements in the art that teach the use of unitary woven constructs with zones of different attributes. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 8,333,221, which is under common ownership with the present application, discloses certain forms of unitary woven fabrics with multiple functional zones based on a limited set of disclosed attribute types. However, such conventional art still has certain drawbacks. For example, in both the conventional panelized woven constructions and the unitary woven constructions, the adjacent zones have discretely different sets of attributes and there is an abrupt transition from one zone to another or limited control over the nature of a transition, for instance, the '221 patent discloses variation in the spacing of rows of yarns, but this approach is limited and inflexible as a form of customizing a transition. Further, the visual appearance of such products can be aesthetically unpleasing because of abrupt transitioning between zones and the use of excessive seams. Thus, in some cases, the conventional art takes an all or nothing approach to mapping the different zones to corresponding areas of need in an end product—it assumes a given zone needs all of one set of attributes or all of another set. In other words, each overall zone represents a uniform set of attributes. In other cases, there is no flexibility in how transitioning occurs, only a limited, spacing-dependent effect.
Conventional fabric constructs have not adequately solved the challenge of providing smooth or progressive transition from one zone of attributes to another zone of attributes in a unitary woven fabric. In short, conventional fabric constructs and methods have not adequately solved the challenge of providing a diverse range of attributes in a unitary woven fabric. Conventional fabric constructs and methods have not adequately solved the challenge of providing smooth or progressive transition from one zone of attributes to another zone of attributes in a unitary woven fabric. Accordingly, there is a significant need for new and improved constructs and methods that address the foregoing and other unmentioned disadvantages in the prior art.